The world is seeing a return to growth in greenfield FDI, according to the latest findings from the fDi report, but while some areas surge ahead, others are seeing hesitant growth or even a decline.

The question of how much foreign investment is too much is a hot topic in New Zealand. On one side of the argument proponents of FDI believe it is responsible for the country's higher-than-average economic growth, but on the other, patriotic New Zealanders believe that the level of foreign ownership, particularly of land, has reached a tipping point.

Prime minister Shinzo Abe says he wants to double the level of FDI into Japan, but for now the country remains the ‘most closed investment market in the developed world’, according to one former EU trade commissioner. How can Japan boost its inbound investment appeal?

FDI into central Asia has largely been limited to extractive sectors. While this has led to some big-ticket investments, it can be unreliable as a source of capital inflow, and countries in the region are waking up to the fact that they need to diversify their economies and broaden their appeal.

Regional bilateral free-trade agreements have emerged as a mechanism for boosting crossborder trade and investment in recent years, but none has been as ambitious as the two mega-regional deals currently being negotiated.